China’s Ministry of Water Resources announced that it has successfully revitalised 88 key rivers and lakes nationwide, breathing ecological life back into waterways that had been dry or degraded for decades. 

 

 

This achievement forms part of the “mother river rejuvenation” action plan, a national programme running from 2022 to 2025 tailored to restore individual rivers and lakes according to their unique conditions. Specific examples include the Yellow River, which has maintained an uninterrupted flow for 26 years, and the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal, where water has been restored along the full length for four consecutive years. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Haihe River Basin—historically marred by scarcity and pollution—the rehabilitation work has seen the Yongding River regain continuous flow after 26 years of intermittent dryness. Additionally, the Baiyangdian Lake wetland in northern China has sustained stable ecological water-levels for seven years running. 

Looking ahead, China plans to extend this restoration model to more river basins, embedding long-term mechanisms and maintaining the custom-fit rehabilitation approach that accounts for local hydrology and ecology. The ministry emphasises that each river or lake receives a bespoke plan, avoiding “one-size-fits-all” fixes. 

Keywords such as “river restoration”, “ecological flow”, “wetland rehabilitation”, “China water resources” and “mother river rejuvenation” are naturally embedded in this report to highlight the significance of the programme and the scale of achievements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Key Takeaways:

 

1. China has restored ecological flows in 88 major rivers and lakes by September 2025 under a national restoration plan.

 

 

2. Major successes include the Yellow River (26 years of uninterrupted flow) and localised wetland recovery like Baiyangdian Lake.

 

 

3. Future focus: expand into more basins, establish long-term restoration systems, and maintain tailored plans per waterway.

 

 

Adapted From:

 

https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202510/13/content_WS68ecbd46c6d00ca5f9a06bb8.html

 

 

It was somewhat the same with Japan, back in the day.

 

Japan reached a certain level of prosperity after polluting its environment, and then....

It used part of its wealth to clean up the destruction caused by its rapid rise.

 

 

55 minutes ago, Bacon1 said:

China has restored ecological flows in 88 major rivers and lakes by September 2025 under a national restoration plan.

 

Will this mean flooding in Mae Khong river?

2 minutes ago, watchcat said:

 

Will this mean flooding in Mae Khong river?

 I really hope not, after last years floods.

The Passaic River, which flowed past my home town, was once one of the most polluted rivers worldwide, from effluents from factories and industrial waste for over a century along it's length. They Designated it a superfund site by the EPA and stopped the factories from depositing waste into it. At one time, all you could catch was carp, which are fish that can adjust to a dirty environment. Now, there are large and smallmouth bass, pike, panfish, and striped bass. It's still advisable not to eat the fish, as it has awhile to go, but the water quality has improved greatly since the EPA started it's efforts.